berlin. tonight, the u.s. capitol in security lockdown ahead of jode biden's inauguration as divisions over the impeachment of the outgoing president deepen. donald trump supporters are accusing the democrats of twisting the knife. house speaker nancy pelosi insisting no one is above the law, not even the u.s. prident. also coming up, latin america struggles with surging covid-19 numbers. columbia enforces a curfew.

illegal border crossings from venezuela are fueling the increase in cases. the world health organization calls an emergency meeting to tackle new variants of the coronavirus as scientists arrive in china to investigate the origin of the pandemic. plus, why the coronavirus is failing to deter pilgrims from attending a giant hindu festival in india. hundreds of thousands are gathering for a celebration by the river ganges, trusting in faith rather than face masks or protect them from the virus. -- face masks to protect them from the virus. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers in pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. we begin with washington, d.c. and impeached u.s. president. lawmakers voted to impeach donald trump an unprecedented second time.

all 10 republicans joined democrats in voting, the political parties have rarely seemed further apart. washington, d.c. is on high alert in the run-up to president-elect joe biden's inauguration. the fbi is warning trump supporters are planning violent protests in all 50 state capitals. >> in the last four years, the white house has perhaps never been so quiet. this after its top resident was impeached a second time. fencing has cut off the first residence appeared more significantly to president trump, twitter has cut them off from his supporters. but supporters are not necessarily turning away even after congressional democrats and 10 members of trump's -- cited with democrat house majority leader nancy pelosi. she called trump a clear and present danger to the country. >> the ayes are to 32.

the resolution is adopted. thought objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. >> while the motion to reconsider is a formality, in the decidedly red republican state of texas, trump supporters see cause for congress to reconsider. namely an impeachment backlash. >> it seems like they are just doing it just to dig the knife deeper and twist it. > they believe in what they believe. that is not going to change because of somebody else's political tactics. >>'s presidency is over, but his bases going to be stronger. >> i think that is a very divisive thing to do. i think it is a very vindictive thing to do. >> what speaker pelosi says the impeachment solutions she signed is simply about justice. >> the house demonstrated that no one is above the law, not

even the president of the united states. >> the next step is a trial in the other chamber of the capital, the senate could trump and his supporters are confident and impeachment backlash will help prevent a conviction in a polarized senate. for the needed two thirds majority to convict, democrats are banking on a call for bipartisan justice. brent: let's bring in our correspondent. he is in washington for us. following the deadly siege at the u.s. capitol and now with threats of more violence ahead of inauguration day next week, we understand the department of homeland security has implemented a security lockdown in downtown washington. you live and work there. is it like? -- what is it like? >> i go to work by bike every day and i really have to tell you it is like a ghost town right now. it is such a bizarre atmosphere that i have never seen and a lot

of washingtonians i have spoken to feel the same. you have that big fence surrounding the whole capitol hill area at the national mall and the white house. you cannot get even close to those sites. there is a razor wire on top. if you look through the fence, you will see 20,000 soldiers patrolling. there are concrete barriers locking the streets. police cars with flashing blue lights on 24 hours. it seems like in science fiction movie and some people are joking that donald trump finally has his wall not at the border with mexico but really distributing basically washington, d.c.. it has become a tourist attraction. people taking pictures and videos all day long. authorities trying to make clear here that this situation we have seen when a violent mob stormed the capital that this situation will not repeat itself. brent: we know the fbi is warning a possible armed protest a crust the united states --

protest across the at his dates. saying far-right groups are calling for demonstrations at his inauguration. what do we know? >> there are warnings issued by the fbi there could be some armed unrest in all of the 50 u.s. states. not only on inauguration day but also sunday. washington, d.c. seems like a safe place but the concern is the rest of the country is not as safe. that there is not the same security measures in place. the michigan attorney general said the state house there is not safe. it was stormed before by a militia group. there were plans to kidnap the governor. militias feel emboldened by donald trump by his demeanor. i talked to and extremism expert earlier this week. she told me there was a broader far-right coalition that is openly advocating for civil war in the united states. it apparently is true. and certainly a big challenge

for the authorities. brent: oliver with the latest tonight from washington, d.c., a city in security lockdown. thank you. now to the pandemic. coronavirus caseloads are surging across latin america. in brazil, the president continues to downplay the virus despite record-breaking infection rates and more than 200,000 deaths. brazil is not the only country in the region that is struggling. in mexico, case numbers have reached a new high. 90% of hospital beds are occupied and deaths are rising rapidly. mexico ranks fourth in the world with 100 60,000 fatalities. further south, venezuela has recorded more than 170,000 infections in 1000 deaths. the government has signed a deal with russia for millions of doses of its sputnik five vaccine. in neighboring columbia, a new surge in cases has prompted a

curfew in the capital. the health crisis especially acute at the border with venezuela with people fleeing poverty and corruption d entering columbia illegally. our correspondent reports tonight. >> watches the moment when amidst cheering, he left the hospital. he is colombian and spent 36 days in intensive care. he saw the havoc that covid-19 has caused in the hospitals. >> in general, the attention of the doctors and nurses was very good. but i so saw tt therere a lot of people who are left on their own. abandoned. you get there and you are practically left in disposable diaper. connected to a machine. >> in an effort to curb this but

of the virus, authorities closed the colombia and venezuela border. nongovernmental organizations estimate that some 100,000 people continue to move between the two countries every day. they do it along illegal trails like this one. whe the autrities are too overwhelmed to carry out any health checks. it puts more pressure on city hospitals, some of them have reported a 100% bed occupancy. >> someone who comes infected and crosses using these illegal trails ends up being a spider to of -- spreader of the virus to everyone around him. the number of people he can in fact is impossible to calculate. >> coronavirus safety measures are very -- are barely respected.

many do not maintain social distancing or even wear a mask. even without the illegal boarding -- illegal border crossings, they fear another wave could soon hit the region. that could bring the already alarming death toll to new highs. brent: for more on that, i am joined by our correspondent. he is in bogota. good evening to you. the situation seems dire. how much is the flow of migrants influencing the coronavirus crisis? >> the influence is huge. to understand the impact the migratory flow has in columbia, have to imagine that according to nongovernmental organizations, about 100,000 people go around that border every day. 100,000 people. the border has been closed for the last seven months. these people are using illegal paths to go. where there are no sanitary

controls. the migratory flow is not very significant but it goes beyond the law and every bio security measures. brent: the migrants, certainly they know about the dangers of the coronavirus that could be waiting for them if they cross the border. aren't the migrants worried about catching the virus? >> they do care of course, but even if it sounds incredible, venezuelan migrants have other priorities before the pandemic. venezuela was facing very big problems of poverty, unemployment, insecurity, so the pandemic has deepened that crisis. at the end of the day, the concern of a bennett -- of venezuelan migrants is still the most elemental one, finding some thing to eat. on the border, we saw many migrants wearing a face mask but others do not. that is something we cannot

understand. how can they buy a mask even when they do not have money or food to eat? brent: when you look at all of south america, how would you say the crisis is being handled? >> each country has handled the crisis in its own way. there have not been like joined policies, but what worries right now is many countries that have already reopened their economies, they are shooting them down. like uruguay or argentina or peru or here, where we are facing lock downs, we are going to have the weekend lockdown in two days. latin america cannot be a second long lockdown. it would be a catastrophe for the region. everybody here is waiting for the vaccine as that miracle that could save the region from collapse. brent: the vaccines cannot come fast enough. reporting tonight from bogota.

thank you. vote counting is underway in uganda after an election pitting one of africa's longest serving leaders against a charismatic young challenger. the incumbent president is seeking a sixth term in office after ruling for nearly four decades. his main rival, a former popstar, has inspired a new generation of voters. the election campaign has been marred by widespread violence and internet blackout. >> one by one, each vote from this polling station is called out to onlookers. supporters cheer for their supporting -- for their preferred candidate. >> it has been not as expected. everything has mostly gone on well. >> polls are now closed and i uganda as people settle in for a tense count. election day still excitement in the long lines to vote based with the threat of violence with

white police patrolling the streets. the election campaign has seen almost daily violence and crackdowns on opposition supporters but ugandans remain undeterred. >> this nation has been through a lot and we have to make history today. >> it is a clash of generations in one of africa's youngest countries. the incumbent ione of rica's longest serving leaders. the former guerrilla leader has spent 35 years in office in a country where the average age is less than 30. >> our economy is strong. the army is strong. and experienced. the population are well organized. go out and vote. >> thursdays election pits him against the opposition front

runner. the former reggae artist has managed to translate the frustrations of a generation into a viable challenge against the ruling national resistance movement. pre-election violence has also taken the lives of dungeons of election -- of dozens of opposition supporters. he recently appeared at one of their funerals. >> we are not preparing for the election. we are rushing our friends and fellow citizens to the hospital because they have made brutalized by the military and police. >> the ruling nrm blocked access to the internet for the election. the nrm promises the elections will be free and fair but with the blackout on communications, those looking for change are

worried the vote will like accountability and transparency. brent: let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. dozens of people have relate in sudan's capital took off for the closure of illegal detention centers. the demonstration was held after the alleged torture and killing of a man by a paramilitary group. the protesters are demanding that police be granted the exclusive authority to arrest and detain people. the siberian region has experienced its longest cold spell in 14 years. temperatures dipped below -40 degrees celsius more than a month ago. forecasters say it is do to even colder. any residents were caught off guard due to an unusually mild autumn shared a racing pigeon has made an epic 13,000 kilometer journey across the pacific ocean. it disappeared from the u.s. and

showed up again in australia. the pigeon probably hitched a ride on a cargo ship. authorities say this bird is a quarantine risk and therefore it will have to be killed. the world health organization is holding an emergency meeting to discuss new variants of the coronavirus. there are concerns they may be more infections than the first strain that emerged in china. it is also unclear if new variants could reduce the effectiveness of current vaccines. >> at this london hospital, doctors are treating three times the usual number of patients in the intensive care unit. they say they are struggling to cope. >> come straight back in. we are stretched. we are working probably the hardest we are ever going to work in our careers.

>> a sharp increase in syria's covid-19 cases and record deaths come a month after a new variant was detected in the u.k. many countries have sense restricted travel due to the british variant, but it is still spread to at least 50 territories according to the world health organization. other new variants have also been reported including in south africa and brazil. the consequence of an ever-changing virus. >> it is inevitable that the virus is evolving and the more it spreads in an uncontrolled manner in many places across the world, the more chances we are getting the virus to evolve. >> empty streets again a feature of countries worldwide as governments extend or ramp up restrictions to try to limit the spread of the virus variance. while authorities say there is

no evidence the british and soh african variants make the virus more severe, they share a common trait that is believed to make them much more contagious. brent: who scientist have arrived in wuhan to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. the international team will first spend 14 days in quarantine before researching how the virus may have moved from animals to humans. early on, it was traced to this wet market, which has now been shut down. it used to be a place where more -- where wild animals were ld as food. this delayed trip follows months of double medic wrangling. china initially barred the scientists, arguing the virus may have originated elsewhere. earlier, we spoke with our shiny -- our china correspondent about what we can expect the scientist to discover. >> the scientists themselves have said they are not likely to come up with an answer to the

question where the virus originated, how it crossed from animals into humans. what they are going to do is mostly trying to track back the patients, the cases. they are going to talk to people on this seafood market, this wet market where the first known clusters appeared and they are going to talk to medical personnel in order to find unaccounted cases of pneumonia earlier than the first known covid cases. from these cases, they hope to get a clear picture of where to look for the origins of the virus. brent: here is a look at some of the other developments in the pandemic. lebanon has entered full lockdown after some of its hospitals began running out of intensive care beds. this includes a 24 hour curfew. it is now for a bit and go grocery shopping. -- now forbidden to go grocery

shopping. france will impose a nationwide 6:00 p.m. curfew beginning saturday. getting next week, everyone traveling to france from outside the european union will have to show a negative coronavirus test and isolate for seven days. germany is mulling tougher restrictions after a record number of daily deaths. chancellor angela merkel is considering measures including shutting down all public transport. sports news now. there was unwelcome news for track and field as the athletics integrity unit announced an olympic 100 meter hurdles champion has been provisionally suspended for a doping violation. she chuck gold at the rio olympics in 2016. the aiu has charged the american with quote, tampering with the results management process. without giving further details

to that. she is the fourth fastest woman ever over the 100 meter hdles. the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in europe has put the focus on the behavior of professional footballers. they have been widely criticized for the physicality of their goal celebrations as the pandemic continues. others think the accusations are unfair given that players cannot be expected to socially distance during the rough-and-tumble of a soccer game. >> when elite european football resumed after its hiatus back in may, players were careful not to over celebrate. they had been told not to hug or shake hands. fast forward several months and coronavirus is as big a threat as ever, yet football seems to have forgotten the guidelines. social media in germany and elsewhere is abuzz wit criticism. in england, the host of premier league players have tested positive in several games have

been postponed. the league and the government have asked players to tone down their celebrations. >> of course they have special arrangements to ensure the players are safe and they have a testing regime, but i do think it is important that everybody respects not just the letter but the spirit of the rules because it is the spirit of the rules that is important. >> many football coaches believe it is unrealistic to expect players to rein in their emotions. >> the real moment of joy, we work all the time, all the teams,ll the clu, to the moment players score a goal. is an instinct reaction so it is difficult. i do not know if we will be able to do it. >> some football fans also feel sorry for the players. there can be no social distancing when going in for a tackle. or when most players are in the box for a corner. so what makes goal celebrations

any different? but amid the empty stands, critics say professional footballers in europe should recognize how privileged they are. the top leagues are able to keep playing during the pandemic when grassroots sport and other forms of entertainment are banned. governing bodies are now considering sanctioning clubs if players do not set a better example. football has been warned. brent: some sad news tonight from the world of show business. a german musician -- a german magician has died after a battle with terminal pancreatic cancer. he was best known as the siegfried of the world-famous siegfried and roy a magic act. the duo rose to fame in the 1960's and performed in sold out venues into the 1990's. their shows often featured dozens of white tires -- white

tigers and lions. his long-term partner, roy, died last year as a result of covid-19. hundreds of thousands of hindu pilgrims have descended on the banks of the river ganges for a festival billed as the world's largest. up to a million people are expected on the first day, all trusting in faith rather than face masks to protect them from the coronavirus. india has the second-highest number of cases in the world with more than 150,000 deaths so far. >> bathing in the holy ganges. hindus believe this water will rid them of sin and save them from any future people including from the coronavirus. god will take care of the pandemic fears. humans do their duty and god does his. the festival is billed as the world's largest gatheri of people. this year, only around one

million are expected for the first day of the pilgrimage. people travel from all around india to bathe in the symbolic water. most are not wearing masks and that makes the job of enforcing social distancing a logistical nightmare. >> they are in the midst of a crowd. they ensure proper social distancing. >> india has the world second-highest number of covid-19 cases. now, more than 10 million. more than 150,000 people have died of the virus. thus, as the riverbanks team with pilgrims and vendors and families take it in turns to plunge into the river, it seems people here are more than happy to entrust their fate to mother ganges. brent: a one-of-a-kind original tintin artwork has gone under the hammer at an auction in paris.

it fetched a record 3.2 million euros. the artwork has been or was intended for the original cover of the 1936 comic, adventures of tintin ithe far east: the blue lotus. the comp get a four color process to reproduce the image was deemed at the time too expensive. you are watching dw news. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. stick around. we will be right back. ♪ ♪

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♪ >> watching from paris. here are your headlines. france is bringing in an earlier curfew right across the country, starting at 6:00 p.m. from this saturday. the prime minister announced this and other measures earlier. we will bring you the latest. after donald trump's second impeachment, concern in washington is shifting to the possibility of further insurrections at capitol building's across the country ahead of joe biden's and aga ration. we take a closer look. -- inauguration. we take a closer look. and what shape is young's